Cons

• Over packaged foods
• Highly processed foods
• Food additives and preservatives used frequently to make sub-standard food taste and look better than it otherwise would
• Supermarkets are not accountable to the local communities in which they are located
• Destruction of the high street
• Hyperactivity link to food additives
• Food security issues – centralised distribution systems create vulnerability to rising fuel prices and conflicts
• Convenience foods such as pre-washed bagged salads may have been through several processes such as frequent treatment with pesticides, irradiation and chlorine washes
• Global markets hurt small scale suppliers
• Food miles vastly increased by importing exotic and/or out-of-season fruit and vegetables
• (Many more! See especially “Not on the Label…” and “Shopped…” for easy-to-read further information).

Pros

• Loyalty cards
• 1% cash back
• Money saving vouchers
• Loyalty cards contribute to supermarkets’ awareness of your tastes and preferences and thus lead to more appropriate provisions
• Economies of scale
• Market differentiation
• Open more hours of the day
• Range of prices – cheap, medium and luxury
• Standard sizes
• “Good” quality
• Market dominance leads to reduced prices